The present invention relates generally to electronic organizers and, more particularly, to apparatus and methods providing integration of electronic organizers with cellular phone devices.
With each passing day, there is ever increasing interest in providing integrated solutions for connected information appliances. Here, the general environment includes “appliances” in the form of electronic devices such as cellular phones, pagers, and battery-powered, hand-held devices (e.g., REX™, Palm Pilot™ and Windows™ CE devices). Such a device, in typical use, is occasionally connected to a desktop personal computer or PC, which stores information for a user. Still further, the PC may be connected to a server computer, which stores information important to the user's business. What the user wants is an integrated solution such that information of each device remains available for use in other devices in a convenient, transparent manner.
The user's wish for integration of personal information among devices is particularly noteworthy in connection with cellular phones, given their tremendous popularity. Although cellular phones are commonplace, a cellular phone user today finds that his or her device is not well integrated with other electronic devices. Consider, for instance, a user who maintains address-book or “contacts” information on a hand-held device. Despite having maintained extensive information about his or her contacts electronically, the user is forced to manually re-enter information into the cellular phone when placing a phone call. What the user wants instead is the ability to make calls and look up addresses and phone numbers, and even check schedules and send electronic mail, from a single integrated solution. Yet to date, designers have struggled over how to integrate disparate information—such as calendaring, scheduling, and contact information—among disparate devices.
What is needed is a solution which combines telephony with personal information management in a single integrated hand-held unit. Given the millions of cellular phones in service today, such a solution should comprise a user-serviceable attachment allowing a legacy phone to be upgraded to a “smart” phone without requiring a change to the underlying phone equipment (i.e., in a manner which maintains compatibility with legacy hardware) and without requiring a complicated installation procedure.
More particularly, what is needed is such an integrated solution that can enable a user to conveniently access information in the user-serviceable attachment even during an existing phone call and even on a phone (e.g., a legacy phone) that has “automatic hang-up” logic which causes the phone to unilaterally terminate an ongoing call if the logic believes that the phone is no longer being used. What is also needed is an integrated solution that is little encumbered during use or transport by model-specific restrictions imposed by particular phone model(s) and that can easily be used with multiple models of phones. In short, a solution is needed that can accommodate and work with as many models of phones as possible. Similarly, a solution is needed that can accommodate as many users as possible. For example, what is needed is a solution that is equally convenient for left-handed as well as right-handed users to use. The present invention fulfills these and other needs.